Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.
Approach · directive: “discuss / explain”
What it asks · Two parts: the human and natural causes behind shrinking mangrove cover, and the ecological services that mangroves provide to coasts.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Discuss the causes of mangrove depletion: conversion, local extraction, altered flows and pollution, climate change
- Explain the importance of mangroves in maintaining coastal ecology: protection, nursery, climate and water services
Open with · Mangroves, salt-tolerant forests of tidal shores, cover only about 0.15 per cent of India's land area, yet they shield coasts and nurse marine life.
Cover
- Conversion: clearing for shrimp farms, agriculture, salt pans, ports, roads, real estate and industry on tidal flats is a major cause of loss.
- Local pressure: fuelwood and timber cutting, fodder collection, overgrazing and unregulated fishing degrade fragile deltas such as the Sundarbans.
- Altered flows: upstream dams and embankments cut freshwater and sediment supply; pollution, oil spills and plastics smother roots.
- Climate pressures: sea-level rise, erosion, salinity changes and stronger cyclones stress mangroves, especially where inland retreat is blocked by embankments and settlements.
- Coastal protection: dense stilt roots absorb wave energy, trap sediment and reduce erosion and surge damage during cyclones and tsunamis.
- Nursery and food web: sheltered roots breed fish, prawns and crabs and shelter migratory birds, so mangroves underpin coastal fisheries and livelihoods.
- Climate and water services: they store 'blue carbon', filter pollutants and check saline intrusion into groundwater and farmland.
Close with · Mangroves are cheaper and more resilient coastal defences than concrete; CRZ protection, restoration under schemes such as MISHTI and community livelihoods can keep them.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2019, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 224 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Mangroves, the salt-tolerant forests of tidal shores, cover only about 0.15 per cent of India's land area, yet they shield coasts, breed fish and store carbon. Their steady loss is largely man-made.
Causes of depletion
- Conversion of tidal land: clearing for shrimp and fish farms, paddy, salt pans, ports, roads, industry and real estate is the largest direct cause.
- Local extraction: fuelwood and timber cutting, fodder collection, grazing and unregulated fishing thin fragile deltas such as the Sundarbans.
- Altered flows and pollution: upstream dams and embankments cut freshwater and silt supply and raise salinity; sewage, oil spills and plastics choke the breathing roots.
- Climate change: sea-level rise, erosion and stronger cyclones stress the forest, and where embankments and settlements block retreat inland, mangroves are squeezed out.
Importance in coastal ecology
- Natural sea wall: dense stilt and prop roots absorb wave energy, trap sediment, check erosion and blunt storm surges and tsunamis.
- Nursery and food web: sheltered root channels breed fish, prawns and crabs and host migratory birds, sustaining coastal fisheries and livelihoods.
- Climate and water services: mangroves store 'blue carbon' in soil and biomass, filter pollutants and hold back saline intrusion into groundwater and farmland.
Mangroves are a cheaper and more resilient coastal defence than concrete; CRZ protection, restoration (since 2023-24 under MISHTI) and a community stake in the forest can turn depletion around.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.